MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hurricane Rick strengthened off Mexico's Pacific coast on Friday and could hit resorts on the Baja California peninsula next week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane Rick, the seventh hurricane of the eastern north Pacific season, was located about 270 miles south of the resort city of Acapulco with maximum sustained winds near 85 mph with higher gusts.
The center said outer rain bands of the Category 1 storm could reach the southern Mexican coast later on Friday.
"Rick continues to rapidly intensify. Further strengthening is forecast," the center said.
The center projected the hurricane turning toward the Mexican coast on Tuesday.
Pacific storms pose no threat to Mexico's large oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico, but the Baja California peninsula is popular with U.S. tourists for its resorts in the Los Cabos area.
(Reporting by Robin Emmott; editing by Todd Eastham)
